The Wildlife Trusts, children, nature and John Lewis

The Wildlife Trusts have been helping children to enjoy and learn about nature for more than 50 years – that’s why we are thrilled to be this year’s charity partner for John Lewis’ Christmas ad, which features UK wildlife.

Evidence has been growing for several years pointing to the array of health and social benefits to be derived from contact with the natural world for all ages. We know that first-hand contact with nature is good for children - it makes them happier, healthier and more creative; for some it can have a life-changing impact.

As part of our work to ensure that more children have an opportunity to enjoy regular contact with nature, The Wildlife Trusts aim to use the funds donated by John Lewis to work within schools, including funding wildlife packs for schools, containing activity booklets, and ‘wildlife’ resources for teachers to use in lessons.

From family fun to forest schools, kids’ clubs to bushcraft, find out more about how we introduce children to the great outdoors here www.wildlifetrusts.org/discovery

Restoring and protecting the UK’s natural heritage

There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. The Wildlife Trusts have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch. Our vision is to create a Living Landscape and to secure Living Seas. We care for around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to look after their land to benefit wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife. Every year we work with thousands of schools and our nature reserves and visitor centres receive millions of visitors. Each Wildlife Trust is working within its local communities to inspire people about the future of their area: their own Living Landscapes and Living Seas.